This Billie Holiday album was recorded in March 1959 and released four months later, in July 1959, the same month Holiday died; after her death the album was renamed "Last Recording". Al Cohn on tenor sax and Milt Hinton on bass are among the several notable session musicians in Ray Ellis's Orchestra which provides horn-driven accompaniment on most of this material.

Tinsley Ellis has worked hard since the early 1980s to establish himself on the contemporary blues scene. As a result, he has become one of the most consistent, and therefore quintessential, electric blues men. Ellis is a an excellent guitar player and a terrific showman. He's a good songwriter in that he stretches the blues form as far as it will go, and occasionally he crosses into solid hard rock territory. On Speak No Evil, it seems as though Ellis has been listening to some of Robin Trower's early to mid-period records. That's not a bad thing: Trower is one of the great modern bluesmen who has been remarkably consistent over the decades, and he is one of the more astonishingly soulful guitar heroes alive. What seems to be at work on Speak No Evil is Ellis trying to push the blues form in a decidedly more rockist direction without losing its emotional feel. And he's done his job. Check out the opening track, "Sunlight of Love" With its hard-driven wah-wah pedals and funky backbeat; one can easily imagine this track on Trower's Twice Removed from Yesterday – Ellis even apes vocalist James Dewar's vocal phrasing. It's a killer track and a sheer surprise, – especially with a B-3 providing such a powerful atmospheric backdrop in the power trio format.

Blues rocker Tinsley Ellis knows where his bread is buttered and bakes up a loaf of it on his first album of original material since 2004's The Hard Way. Best known for fiery shows as evidenced by 2006's terrific Live! Highwayman, Ellis' explosive combination of R&B, blues and rock clicks on this rugged set. He roars through the riff-driven "Somebody" and the double entendres of "Bringin' Home the Bacon" like the pro he is, whipping off muscular solos that never overstay their welcome. "Get to the Bottom" and "Too Much of Everything" tackle the unfortunate results of living life in the fast lane, something he likely knows plenty about after spending a few decades on tour. Ellis works in a Stones styled mid-tempo rocker on "Tell the Truth" (not the Derek & the Dominos song), a tightly written gem aided immensely by fellow Atlanta musician Michelle Malone on backing vocals. The guitarist obviously loves his wah-wah pedal, which brings a Cream-like psychedelic swamp edge to tracks such as "Too Much of Everything".

Tinsley Ellis has earned a reputation for heavy blues-rock guitar since he quit Atlanta's Heartfixers in 1987. Often it's been a little too heavy, ignoring the dynamic nuances that bring out the emotional nature of the blues. But Ellis's first album for Telarc lightens up just enough, so the sweet-and-high six-string intro to "Stuck in Love" enhances the song's guitar melody and the tenderness of his lyrics. He aims for a softer, thinner tone on "Real Bad Way" and turns "Feel No Pain" into a slow, soulful essay in guitar anxiety, full of telling fills, bends, and solo breaks. He also plays some acoustic numbers that allow the butter-and-black-pepper tones of his Southern-accented voice to emerge. Not that Ellis is playing things too cool; there's still plenty of guitar fire all over this record. It's just that he's learned to control the burning.

Recorded in Nashville and produced by Ellis and keyboardist Kevin McKendree, the ten brilliantly performed, fervently sung tracks on Winning Hand include nine originals, ranging from blistering blues to heart-pounding rock to soulful ballads. “Guitar, guitar, guitar is what this album is all about,” says Ellis, who recorded primarily with his 1959 Fender Stratocaster, his 1967 Gibson ES 345 and his 1973 Les Paul Deluxe. Guitar World says, “Ellis’ playing sparkles with depth and subtlety. Whether playing deep, slow blues or uptempo rockers, Ellis rides a gorgeously fat, pure tone.” Since his Alligator debut 30 years ago, Tinsley Ellis has become a bona fide worldwide guitar hero. The Chicago Sun-Times says, “It’s hard to overstate the raw power of his music.” Armed with his signature molten licks, melodic riffs and rousing, intense solos, Ellis, as his legions of fans will attest, is among the blues world’s best loved, hardest working and most well-travelled statesmen.

ophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor (born 10 April 1979) is an English singer, songwriter and model. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s, as the lead singer of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded, Ellis-Bextor went solo, achieving widespread success in the early 2000s. Her music is a mixture of mainstream pop, disco, nu-disco, and 1980s electronic influences…

“Don Ellis – Electric Heart” is the story of one of the most innovative musicians of the 20th Century. Ellis (1934–1978) fused together a mixture of Jazz-Classical-Rock and his own version of World Music long before anyone else had thought of doing it. He was the first to experiment with odd rhythms as well as introducing electronics into the world of Jazz. His life, times & music is explored with interviews from musical giants such as bandleader Maynard Ferguson, Pulitzer Winning composer Gunther Schuller as well as pianist Milcho Leviev. Rare footage of Ellis overwhelms the film as Ellis attempts to take Jazz to new heights and never look back. Strangely, his life story and musical genius has almost been completely forgotten. The unforgettable short life of one of the greatest musicians of all time is explored and a re-birth of the electrifying and magical sounds of Don Ellis is back for all to enjoy!

In the midst of his tenure with the Oscar Peterson Trio, Herb Ellis had the chance to turn the tables on his boss and employ him as a sideman, though the keyboard virtuoso strangely reigns in his chops and pretty much stays in the background. This pair of sessions was first issued on a Norgran LP and finally reissued as a Verve CD in early 2006. The first four tracks add Jimmy Giuffre (alternating between baritone sax, tenor sax, and clarinet) and trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, along with fellow Peterson sideman Ray Brown and drummer Alvin Stoller. Ellis' originals include the easygoing "Sweetheart Blues" and the cooking bop vehicle "Pogo," where both the leader and Edison eclipse Giuffre's efforts on sax. ..

Ellis, a London based singer, makes an impressive debut with this F-IRE Presents album finding inspiration for her compositions from her native Haringey via photos, street art, architecture and London in general. The cultural diversity, the hectic tempo, the harshness, the loneliness, the neighbourhoods. I suppose we all could find similar inspiration in our own hometown but, with the possible exception of New York, nowhere in such varied abundance as in our capital city.